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Virtually all Planning Applications are submitted to the appropriate District Council; the exceptions are those which must be submitted to the County Council's Environmental Planning Service , Andy Farrow Tel: 01244 973145 - for waste disposal or mineral extraction or are made by the County Council itself (e.g. for school developments).
Town and Parish Councils are always formally consulted directly by either the District Council or by the County Council (dependent on which Authority will make the decision).
Sometimes it might be helpful to a Town or Parish Council to know of the highway concerns about an Application (e.g. are there any traffic capacity or safety implications?) so that, perhaps, they can add their weight to the points that the Highways Service will be making. It is important to appreciate, however, that the County Council is (like Town and Parish Councils) only a consultee on Applications made to District Councils; most Planning Approval decisions are taken by the District Councils.
We deal with Planning Applications on a local basis through our Area Highways Teams with the District Councils. The Headquarters of the Highways Service, at Backford Hall, deals mainly with large strategic applications.
Development Control Officers should be contacted for advice on the location of a proposed vehicular access. They will advise whether planning permission is likely to be required, although the final decision will be made by the Local Planning Authority, the District Council.
Access designs may be subject to Road Safety Audit procedures in some cases, dependent on the nature and scale of the proposal.
Even if planning permission is not needed, all vehicular crossings over the footway or verge require permission from the Highway Authority (i.e. the County Council). Such crossings must be constructed to the County Council's specification, details of which can be obtained from your Area Highways Team. The County Council's contractor can carry out the necessary work at the land owner or developer's expense.
For further information please contact Richard Chiverton (01244 973578). |